stammered. Dammit! She hadn’t thought it would be so hard to ask to simply try on a dress. “I don’t want to wait to the last minute to try on that dress you said I could borrow.” Asking for help did not come easy for her.
“Sure thing,” Teresa said. “But sit down and let me press it first. Cotton wrinkles real easy, and it needs a good ironin’ before you try it on. Just remember, it’s not a hanger outfit.”
“What are you talking about?” Kayla asked.
“Some things look fantastic on the hanger, and when you put them on, they look like crap,” Teresa explained as she brought the dress out of the closet and began to iron it. “Never judge the way an outfit will look on you by the way it looks on the rack.”
“Where did you learn that?” Kayla asked.
“I bought my scrubs for work at a secondhand shop, and I overheard the lady who owned the place telling a customer that very thing. I got to paying attention and found out she was right.” She sprayed each section with a light layer of starch. “Even older things take on a new life if you get the wrinkles out.”
“Kind of like our lives, right?” Kayla asked.
“How’s that?” Teresa moved on to the next section of the full-skirted dress.
“Our regrets and sins are the wrinkles. If we can get all that smoothed out, then our lives are better,” Kayla said.
“Never knew you to be a deep thinker.” Teresa would have never believed that she and Kayla would be having such a serious conversation.
“Didn’t think I was until I came back here, but it seems like every day I turn loose some of my anger. Sometimes it scares me, though. That was what I’ve always had to fall back on when things got rough. It’s been my salvation even if it did take me a long time to get mad enough to leave Denver,” Kayla admitted.
“Me too.” Teresa finished the last of the ironing. “There you go. All ready to try on. I’ll get the wide belt out that goes with it.”
“Are you crazy?” Kayla raised her voice. “I do not wear wide belts or any kind of belts for that matter.”
“You’ve got a tiny waist, so you should accentuate it,” Teresa told her. “Trust me. I’m thinking that we should get you some wedge heels to go with this.”
“Are these shoes going to float out of heaven?” Kayla asked. “I’m not spending any part of my paycheck on shoes I won’t wear but one time.”
“And new underwear.” Teresa acted like she didn’t even hear her. “Who says you won’t wear any of that again? Someone at the reunion may ask you out on a date, and you’ll be glad you’ve got good underbritches and nice shoes to go with this dress.” Teresa pulled a bright-red belt from her dresser drawer. “Maybe we should find you some red high heels instead of wedges, and red earrings. Those big ones that will almost touch your shoulders. Remember watching that old movie Dirty Dancing with Miss Janie?”
“Nobody puts baby in the corner,” Kayla recited her favorite line.
“That’s right. You walk into that reunion like you own the place. Now, take off your jeans and shirt, and let’s try this on you,” Teresa said.
Kayla peeled off her clothing. “I’ll be surprised if they don’t assign one of the cheerleaders to watch me the whole time I’m there to make sure I don’t steal the plastic forks. I guess I could use part of my money for shoes and a new bra. How much do you think is in that trust fund? Wouldn’t it be something if we could save up enough in a year to open our business?” Kayla asked as Teresa helped her into the dress.
“We’ll figure it all out in good time,” Teresa said.
Kayla smoothed the dress over her hips. “I’ve never had anything fit me like this, and the material has some stretch.”
“Now this.” Teresa held out the belt.
Kayla tucked her head down to her chest and raised both eyebrows. “I’m not so sure about that thing. I usually wear baggy things to cover up my butt and boobs.”
“Would you put it on? It came with the dress and matches the trim around the top. I would have never thought that red and army green would go together, but it does.”
“Kind of like two foster kids who can’t stand each other.” Kayla smiled as she roped in her waist with